Quinn says he's going to run for governor

Gov. Pat Quinn said today he plans to run for governor, the office he took over after Rod Blagojevich was removed from office.

Quinn told WBBM radio today that he indeed was planning to run, but said he would make a formal announcement at a later date.

Quinn's comments came in response to a reporter's question about his election plans, while he was attending an event in Chicago.

They come a day after it became clear that the new governor would face competition from a top member of his own party: Illinois Comptroller Dan Hynes. A source told the Daily Herald Friday that Hynes plans to run against Quinn.

Hynes, who has been comptroller since 1998, is expected to take aim at Quinn's attempt to raise the state income tax to solve budget problems that he inherited.

For years, Quinn has developed a reputation as a crusader for veterans care, good government efforts and social services. Yet, that image has been tarnished since he has had to actually govern. A new, massive public works program is funded by a massive expansion of video gambling, something Quinn has long opposed, and he was criticized for supporting a watered-down reform package opposed by his own reform commission.

Party leaders have said they won't openly endorse a candidate in the primary for governor. Chicago Mayor Richard Daley and state Senate President John Cullerton, a Chicago Democrat, have said they will stay out of the race.

In 2004, Hynes ran for U.S. Senate, picking up 24 percent of the vote in the seven-way Democratic primary won by Barack Obama.

As of late June, Hynes had about $3.5 million in his campaign fund, with large donations coming from state unions. Quinn, notoriously a poor fundraiser, had about $700,000 in the bank.

Other potential Democratic challengers include state Rep. Jack Franks of Marengo and Merchandise Mart boss Chris Kennedy. On the Republican side, state Sen. Bill Brady of Bloomington, state Sen. Kirk Dillard of Hinsdale, DuPage County Board Chairman Bob Schillerstrom and political commentator Dan Proft are among those in the running.